“Hopefully (a return comes) soon,” Reimer said on Tuesday, his first comments in nearly a month. “The symptoms are getting better, are almost gone, so it’s just a matter now of getting back in shape and getting the timing and everything back."

James Reimer was injured in an Oct. 22 collision. (AP Photo)

Reimer was hurt in a collision with the Canadiens' Brian Gionta on Oct. 22. The injury was initially characterized as similar to whiplash.

“When it’s concussion-like symptoms and you have to err on the side of caution, the only thing you can’t do is get your heart rate up," Reimer said. "You’re just kind of sitting on your butt for a month.”

Coach Ron Wilson, whose team has gone 6-7-1 without Reimer after a 5-1-1 start, wouldn't set a timeline but said he expects Reimer to play in the near future.

Backups Jonas Gustavsson and Ben Scrivens have struggled to find consistency in Reimer's absence, and the team has seen injuries to several key players, like Mikhail Grabovski, Clarke MacArthur and Mike Komisarek.

“We've got a lot of people out with injuries and we'd like have our full lineup. It starts in goal," Wilson said. "We've had some really good games from our goaltenders and some mediocre ones. It would be nice to get our No. 1 goalie involved.”